I'm actually pretty burned out on Awakening. I might go back and play all of the DLC later since I have money left on my Nintendo account, but I'm just kind of sick of gaming atm. A few rounds of ME3 MP with the new kits (Krogan Warlord with a biotic-charged hammer mmm tasty) and I'm sufficiently entertained for the day.

At this rate SMTxFire Emblem will be on store shelves before I get my hands on Priam. Damnit.

'm actually pretty burned out on Awakening.

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That's too bad. I'm sure I'm going to reach the end of my fuse before long as well, but the insane amount (and relative ease) of getting supports had kept the grind-machine at full speed.

I'm actually kinda bummed that Awakening is a self-contained story. I love this cast of characters and would've loved a sequel. What made Path of Radiance so great was that even after everything, you knew there were still things yet unresolved and couldn't wait to jump into Radiant Dawn.

I don't know, I prefer to keep stories on that kind of scale contained in their own game. When you kill a physical god your clean up list seems a bit unimportant. If the setting seemed interesting I would want more, but Ylisse was just a backdrop for the conflicts that happened. Good characters make me like a story, a good setting makes me like all of the stories. PoR had me hooked into the sequel not only for the characters, but the unresolved conflicts in the setting.

There's a lot I can say about why I disliked how Awakening's story was presented, but I'll keep this brief: I never felt invested in the story, only select characters. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but when I look back on the game it wont be the epic tale that I remember, but pies and bear meat. The world map messed up story immersion and pacing like it did in FE8, and every conflict's scale felt less defined than even FE8's weird story. Where the Shepherds supposed to smash everyone's face 100% of the time or where they the underdogs? If they were supposed to be at a disadvantage, how is that properly reflected in the gameplay when you have a magic portal that can send you to the grind realm?

Honestly I don't really think it was the world map that messed up the immersion and pacing, but rather extremely boring level design and scale. For example, in Advance Wars Days of Ruin, you follow the story along through it's defined acts, and while you can replay missions at will and do side chapters, as soon as you select the next level, you are immediately put back in the proper perspective that the story necessitates. As you play, the maps get larger, the engagements more complicated, the enemies more overpowered and the story situations more and more dire.

In Awakening, nothing ever seems overly hard or urgent and that is really due to the actual mission layout. Every map is kill em all / kill the boss. You are never at a disadvantage. Ever. The maps are small, and can be cleared in a matter of minutes if you've been grinding. I think of levels like Cogs of Fate in FE7 or Grado Keep in FE8, both of which are massive levels that take nearly a dozen turns just to move across let alone fight through. Yes, Sacred Stones' story and pacing blow, but damn if you didn't feel the pressure and urgency as you're desperately trying to unlock the second row of gates as archers fire with longbows from behind cover and reinforcements continue to poor in from all sides with long distance magic users bombarding your lead units and enemy clerics heal those generals with silver weapons. Not only were the enemies fighting you, the level design was as well, and that made the experience all the more engrossing and memorable.

Awakening's environments seem boring and empty by comparison. Plus, none of the missions actually relay a sense of progression. The war with Walhart was supposed to be this massive military engagement, yet you traipse around the continent of Valm like you own it, moving from place to place that visibly look to be far apart.

I would have liked to see more level objective variety. This is some of the most simple level design since FE4. There weren't any "escape", or "defend" levels that pitted you against enemies you couldn't possibly beat normally. There weren't any "seize" levels, which is kind of a relief. FE7-9 kind of went overboard on those, and there was no real reason to have those as it basically required you to keep your most important(And usually some of your weakest) units on the frontline. But a few would have been nice.

That was the one thing I noticed that seemed off. I usually pay no heed to stories, unless it's a good one. Like, bad stories don't take away from the entertainment value for me, but the whole Valm thing was off. Walhart is supposed to have quadruple the numbers or something, but the Sheperds blow through Valm like it ain't no thang. I'm pretty sure beating the 4:1 odds that they were up against should be a bit bigger than it was.

I haul my 3DS around everywhere I walk as an expensive, bulky MP3 player. I swapped out the 4gb stick that came with the system for a Kingston 32gb stick so I can put all of my music on there with room to quadruple it.

Just got a shitton of spotpass updates. While I think it's really really cool and I'm sure it's the most the developers can really do, I wish there was more to it. It's just like "Hey, here's a character that can fight and do nothing else". If they had some sort of support conversations, that'd make it so much cooler just because there's actually something to the support convos this time around. However, I'm psyched to use my Ashnard Assassin and Jaffar all over again.

Also, it sucks how slow my guys gain EXP now. It's gonna take a whole hell of a lot to level up Donnell anytime soon.

From personal experience, I'd definitely say it depends on the game. Mainly, of course, it comes down to if the game is grind-able or not, like in Awakening and Sacred Stones (assuming we're talking growths). Otherwise, based on what I've seen of Awakening, rng isn't a "problem" per se, it's more just when and how often you get lucky. For example, I've yet to have bs to the degree that my level 40 swordmaster gets killed by a level one warrior with a 4% chance to hit, but it's not unheard of. Stuff like that seemed to happen to me all the time in Radiant Dawn.

Plus, judging the rng can be fairly biased depending on who you ask (obviously), and the level of saltiness on the subject, again, depends on that person's experiences. Though, I have to say, I'm quite pleased with the growth rates for practically every unit I've used in Awakening.

rng isn't a problem in Awakening because you're able to grind and there are second seals which let you restart from level 1 basically allowing you to max all your stats if you want. In Sacred Stones you can grind but unless you spend a shit ton of time gathering crap to sell so that you can buy unlimited stat boosters, you won't max all your stats. In any of the other games, rng can be a problem because one of your characters can just get lousy growths and wind up being useless. But that's part of the challenge I suppose.

So how difficult is Lunatic really? Compared to lets say FE 6 or 7 hard mode. I'm thinking about trying it once midterms are over but I'm not so sure It'd be wise of me to do so.

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Okay so Lunatic is like this: You're playing FE5 non-elite and suddenly one of the enemy units jumps out of the game and kicks you so hard in a ballbag that your units spontaneously die from the empathy pains.

So how difficult is Lunatic really? Compared to lets say FE 6 or 7 hard mode. I'm thinking about trying it once midterms are over but I'm not so sure It'd be wise of me to do so.

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Okay so Lunatic is like this: You're playing FE5 non-elite and suddenly one of the enemy units jumps out of the game and kicks you so hard in a ballbag that your units spontaneously die from the empathy pains.

Hmm. Literally everywhere else I've talked about Fire Emblem has shot me down for saying Awakening isn't perfect. I know going against the hivemind is a difficult feat on the internet, but if anyone can point out a game's flaws, it's a devoted fan. Oh, game fandom. You so close minded.

I agree. Though, I always tend to go a bit overboard when it comes to picking negatives to point out. But man, yeah, I fuckin hate finding myself apposed to the "hivemind". Makes me feel like the only sane man left.

However, Awakening certainly isn't lacking for polish, so I think that has alot to do with its place on gamedom's pedestal. I definitely can abide such mass opinions if it promotes Fire Emblem as a series. It's about time these games get the undivided attention they so rightfully deserve. The only thing I really hope we get from the inevitable next installment is a stronger story. If there is something FE plots can do EXTREMELY well it's a tale of Intrigue.

The game's story is severely lacking in my opinion and the the ability to grind in addition to second seals makes it so anybody in the game can max all their stats. The option to change classes is cool and all but I don't think they should have made it so you go back to level 1 when you do. I don't feel like its a perfect Fire Emblem at all. Having finally finished it, it might be one of my least favorites that I've played. The only part I really like is the marriage system but even that is basically just forcing you to grind to get to the skills you want to transfer.

The game's story is severely lacking in my opinion and the the ability to grind in addition to second seals makes it so anybody in the game can max all their stats. The option to change classes is cool and all but I don't think they should have made it so you go back to level 1 when you do. I don't feel like its a perfect Fire Emblem at all. Having finally finished it, it might be one of my least favorites that I've played. The only part I really like is the marriage system but even that is basically just forcing you to grind to get to the skills you want to transfer.

I honestly don't think the fact that you CAN grind is a major issue. In fact, having so much to do outside the main story I think made this game as good as it was. There is no way the game could have half as much content as it does with a linear story.

That said, I feel a stronger overall plot and better pacing would greatly compensate for the insane amount of grinding, even if most of it is optional. But again, these are all relatively small complaints given how fantastic the overall package is.

I won't knock Awakening's mechanics as they add depth to the gamelay. What kept it from being perfect for me personally was the lack of a compelling narrative structure. Story is what draws me into a game and keeps me playing. A good narrative structure and proper pacing is what turns a good game into a great game for me. I can power through mediocre gameplay if game's story is interesting, and vice versa. But good gameplay + good story is memorable. It's like how the Mass Effect series started decently with shit gameplay but an interesting setting, and got better until the third game was the total package with fun gameplay and a story that kept me at the edge of my seat.

For Fire Emblem, (broken record mode ACTIVATE!) Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn struck the perfection I wanted. Story flowed into the chapter objectives in a way that gave the whole game a certain gravity. From early on in PoR, you knew where the conflict would lead you, but getting there and being strong enough to overcome it was the driving force of the game. There was never that sense of place in Awakening, as the story was a mess of timeline weirdness and pointless conflicts. If there had been a compelling story there, good chapter objectives would have logically followed, but we ended up having 30-something chapters(counting paralogues) of rout maps and kill-the-commander. Even the last damn chapter was nothing more than a defeat commander map with enemy spawns as the gimmick. I could also ramble about how grinding throws the layer of meaningful choice out the window, but it should be pretty obvious that allowing you to jump out and grind levels makes each accomplishment feel less important. And since the most effective way to make good children is to grind the parents for hours against zombies, not doing so feels like you've made a bad decision. That's bad game feel in my opinion.

I'm hopeful that IS can take the systems developed for Awakening and do some great things with them in the next games like they did with the transition from Shadow Dragon to Heroes of Light and Shadow, but until then I'll continue to feel that Awakening isn't perfect, just like how I felt that Shadow Dragon wasn't perfect(much farther from perfect than Awakening, I admit).

Hero of Light and Shadow was amazing. LIGHTYEARS ahead of Shadow Dragon. If they had actually combined SD and HoL&S into one game that was as well done as the later, I daresay it may have been a serious contender for best FE alongside Path of Radiance

Hero of Light and Shadow was amazing. LIGHTYEARS ahead of Shadow Dragon. If they had actually combined SD and HoL&S into one game that was as well done as the later, I daresay it may have been a serious contender for best FE alongside Path of Radiance

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I wouldn't like to see that package. HoLS was great because it overhauled the Shadow Dragon mechanics. I popped my copy of Shadow Dragon into my 3DS to keep dust out of it and fired it up for shits and giggles. It was not a pretty sight. I'm happy remembering Shadow Dragon only as the game that introduced class swapping. And keep in mind the reason HoLS is so good is because IS realized that a detrimentally faithful remake was a bad idea.

For my intro into the series, it's been a complete blast. I haven't had this much fun playing a game in a loong time, having never played the others (aside from sacred stones) I guess my comments can't hold much weight around here, but I'm loving the story so far, and all the mechanics seem to work really well. I would hope they choose to keep many of them in the next game!

For my intro into the series, it's been a complete blast. I haven't had this much fun playing a game in a loong time, having never played the others (aside from sacred stones) I guess my comments can't hold much weight around here, but I'm loving the story so far, and all the mechanics seem to work really well. I would hope they choose to keep many of them in the next game!

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Good to hear. It's worth checking out the rest of the series if you still have a Fire Emblem itch to scratch.

Also, I have like, 150 hours put into this game already, and am not burnt out yet. Probably the most replayable FE game so far.

Also, I have like, 150 hours put into this game already, and am not burnt out yet. Probably the most replayable FE game so far.

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97 hours here. For all the shit I give Awakening, it's a joy to play. Not very compelling, and it's not reinforcing my "games can be art" philosophy in any meaningful way, but planning a new kid is fun stuff.

For my second playthrough I focused on getting Galeforce on as many units as possible, with amazing results. Severa(Gregor), Olivia, Inigo(Gaius), Morgan(Miriel) Cordelia, Owain(Lon'qu), and Cynthia(Chrom) have Galeforce + Weaponfaire and a proc skill, so I have a force that doubles the enemy in actions on most turns. The units without Galeforce are mainly my kickass mage family MU/Miriel with Laurent and Morgan having Counter/Tomefaire/Lifetaker/Ignis. Yarne(Donnel) has capped stats but his skills are a little lame. I'll probably turn him into a Dread Fighter for the skills so I can get rid of the useless slot fillers I have him equipped with atm.

Also, I have like, 150 hours put into this game already, and am not burnt out yet. Probably the most replayable FE game so far.

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97 hours here. For all the shit I give Awakening, it's a joy to play. Not very compelling, and it's not reinforcing my "games can be art" philosophy in any meaningful way, but planning a new kid is fun stuff.

For my second playthrough I focused on getting Galeforce on as many units as possible, with amazing results. Severa(Gregor), Olivia, Inigo(Gaius), Morgan(Miriel) Cordelia, Owain(Lon'qu), and Cynthia(Chrom) have Galeforce + Weaponfaire and a proc skill, so I have a force that doubles the enemy in actions on most turns. The units without Galeforce are mainly my kickass mage family MU/Miriel with Laurent and Morgan having Counter/Tomefaire/Lifetaker/Ignis. Yarne(Donnel) has capped stats but his skills are a little lame. I'll probably turn him into a Dread Fighter for the skills so I can get rid of the useless slot fillers I have him equipped with atm.

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Considering that I don't give two shits about any Fire Emblem stories(Really, even at best they're alright), I can't really understand your complaints. The only time I'll ever bitch at people over the story elements in FE games is when they say Eliwood is the main character of FE7, when it's clearly Hector. FE13's story has some pacing issues, but I don't hate it. Not enough to knock the game down because of it.

Considering that I don't give two shits about any Fire Emblem stories(Really, even at best they're alright), I can't really understand your complaints. The only time I'll ever bitch at people over the story elements in FE games is when they say Eliwood is the main character of FE7, when it's clearly Hector. FE13's story has some pacing issues, but I don't hate it. Not enough to knock the game down because of it.

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My deal is that even if a story isn't particularly groundbreaking, if it draws me in as a player in a meaningful way, I consider it good. One of the reasons I jizz my pants every time I think about FE9/10's story is because it was presented to the player in a way that increased the tension before each chapter, then involved the player by reflecting the story in the chapter's objective or layout. A good example of this is the first chapter that pits you against Daein forces in FE9. Up til that point Ike had been treated like the rookie that he was, and all of a sudden Soren tells everyone that shit has hit the fan and that they'll need to mobilize and possibly fight the Daein army. When the battle starts, the enemy is pushed up against you in almost overwhelming numbers with varied units, something that hadn't happened in any previous chapters where you were doing nothing but knocking bandit skulls. It's a pretty small detail to anyone less *cough* obsessed than me, but it adds cohesion to the story and gameplay and gives the player a sense of direction, something that I would find infinitely more compelling than the most polished game with no direction.

Also, I have like, 150 hours put into this game already, and am not burnt out yet. Probably the most replayable FE game so far.

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97 hours here. For all the shit I give Awakening, it's a joy to play. Not very compelling, and it's not reinforcing my "games can be art" philosophy in any meaningful way, but planning a new kid is fun stuff.

For my second playthrough I focused on getting Galeforce on as many units as possible, with amazing results. Severa(Gregor), Olivia, Inigo(Gaius), Morgan(Miriel) Cordelia, Owain(Lon'qu), and Cynthia(Chrom) have Galeforce + Weaponfaire and a proc skill, so I have a force that doubles the enemy in actions on most turns. The units without Galeforce are mainly my kickass mage family MU/Miriel with Laurent and Morgan having Counter/Tomefaire/Lifetaker/Ignis. Yarne(Donnel) has capped stats but his skills are a little lame. I'll probably turn him into a Dread Fighter for the skills so I can get rid of the useless slot fillers I have him equipped with atm.

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This is currently what I'm trying to do at the moment. Since I am female MU, I got Galeforce first and dropped it off on my Morgan. Lucina can get it on her own eventually... my Sumia has galeforce, but I'm not sure what a good partner for her is, I think first I need to get everyone that can get galeforce, galeforce, than go from there...

If you want Cynthia to have access to Paladin and the Wyvern tree, pair Sumia and Fredrick. If you want access to Myrmidon/Swordmaster and Thief/Assassin, pair her with Gaius. If you want Dark Mage/Sorc/Dark Knight and the Thief tree, pair her with Henry. Personally I would pair Sumia with Henry for a skill potential of Vengeance/Lifetaker/Galeforce/Lancefaire/Lethality, but that's just my two cents.

If you want Cynthia to have access to Paladin and the Wyvern tree, pair Sumia and Fredrick. If you want access to Myrmidon/Swordmaster and Thief/Assassin, pair her with Gaius. If you want Dark Mage/Sorc/Dark Knight and the Thief tree, pair her with Henry. Personally I would pair Sumia with Henry for a skill potential of Vengeance/Lifetaker/Galeforce/Lancefaire/Lethality, but that's just my two cents.

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Yeah I was thinking of maybe wanting astra on her child too so I was looking at Gaius... Henry looks cool too.

I'm trying to get Galeforce on the male children, Counter on the females.

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Yeah also this, that's actually what I'm looking at. I realised yesterday when I finally went on over to serens and poured over the children page that Sumia's kid can get galeforce anyawys, so I was looking to have her pick up counter instead.

I also wanted to do Donny x Nah. Donny can get counter I think? And Nah has access to galeforce IIRC...